Part 29: Matchstick, MuWz - Three

I personally don't mind the derails helping people get into this game. I love this game. I'm happy to help others at any time I'm around. If Chakan doesn't care, the derails only help others, so by all means ask questions.

As for that MuWz, it's legit if you understand the game well enough to know when to flee a fight before it starts. Kind of like playing with Cheibriados. Also in regards to the MuWz named Matchstick:

Update 3 Or, My God, It's Full of Uniques.


Indeed you do, Sif. We left off having cleared the Lair. Not completely confident with my ability to clear sub levels yet, I decide to explore a bit more of the dungeon. Who knows, maybe it'll go well.


I start off finding a decent ring for Mummies. While they still regain stats from draining effects, the loss of restore ability potions means that takes a while. This ring will prevent that from happening to my much needed intelligence.


Strong surges of power are the second tier of boost notifiers. I'm getting these because of the combined effects of the Archmage robe and the necromancy boost from reaching level 13. Also, necromancy 7. Always useful for dispel undead.


AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I'm going back upstairs now.


Ow. Roxanne nailed me with ONE iron shot, and took down half my health. This is a red light that I'll need to find another way, or a stronger spell, to take her out. Had she used one of her OTHER spells, I'd likely be dead right now.

Her spell list: crystal spear (3d32), iron shot (3d26), blink other close, bolt of magma (3d23), mystic blast (3d19). Yes, she can blink you into her range to then blast you away with a crystal spear. She tends to only use bolt of magma when you have summons guarding the LOS to her.


Oh boy, this could be dangerous!


And it is! Daevas, unlike their angel brethren, have the smite ability, much like orc priests only stronger. Avoiding that area, I place an exclusion on the map centered on the Elyvilon altar.


Moving on, I run into a pack of ogres. A couple quick bolts of fire later, they're nothing but charred remains and experience for me.


And there's Aizul. Been covered in the thread already, but a guardian serpent with the ability to put you to sleep and very quickly kill you.


But then he ran into fire. Sif Muna appreciated the kill enough to gift a book.


Looping around to the other side of Roxanne. I have a plan, you see. One that made sense at the time. And Sif Muna gives the best book names.


See, Roxanne(and the AI in general in this game) won't attack what they can't see. You should have no qualms about this.


A bit of work later and I'm in range of pounding Roxy with Mystic Blasts. Here goes...


Yeah, not happening. I'll definitely have to come back and fight her another day. Luckily, like all statues, she can't heal the damage. She'll be stuck at that health point for eternity.


Wood golems. Not threatening to any player, really. Even less threatening because they are weak to fire, as expected for a block of wood.


I attracted some friends! Some killing later...


And they're gone, along with a few more slimes that felt like playing too. With minimal damage. The ability to regain MP on demand and having both Bolt of Fire and IMB at 1% fail rate is pretty awesome.


More mini vaults. The door was hidden, though I could have burned away the wax walls (and did, in two spots. 2 tiles NW of me, and again south of the deep water). Had a couple of monsters, none were a threat. The ring, meanwhile, is a ring of ice. rF-, rC+, buffs ice spells, suppresses fire spells (inverse to a surge of power)


You can have Entarex all you like, Maud. All I want is the Orb of Zot. Allegedly, Entarex is a sword. Maud herself is a reference to Nethack, and the scroll of amnesia in that game in particular. Hell, the scroll there is ITSELF a reference to Alfred Tennyson's poem "Maud".

She's melee only, so I can take her out rather easily.


Around a corner from Maud I'm lit on fire. Mildly painful. I kill it off, sacrificing a couple scrolls by doing so. Small loss, death would be infinitely worse.


A stone golem is also here. It would be threatening, if I let it into melee range. It's damn slow though, so peppering it with IMB's takes it down rather easily.


Sif ends up granting another book shortly after that. I grab Apportation, because grabbing items from afar is always helpful, and I also grab Passwall to get a start on Earth magic, the other magic branch I'll delve deep into.


A wide open area, no AoE attacks, and now easy way to get them all lined up? I'm out of here, maybe Swamp will hold better gains for me.


So, Swamp. It's been covered before. There's nothing much to say. It's boring, and only a couple things make it remotely interesting.


Such as uniques. Louise is always a threat to me the first time I meet her. Abyssing this character is a deathwish. Thankfully, she blinked out of sight, so I can hastily throw a magic protection ring on for added safety from banishing.


A couple Bolts of Fire later, and she goes down. Phew.


The only other notable thing on this floor is the sheer amount of vampire mosquitoes that abound. Being vampiric, they're weak to Dispel Undead. Which is casting pretty well by this point.


Wiglaf was also here. Was being the key word. See, Wiglaf is an oldschool worshipper of Okawaru, before he got retooled to what he is now. He used to give Might (like drinking the potion), and Haste rather than Heroism and Finesse. Given he didn't cast either...


More books!


Funny, Matchstick is doing both the things this book has in it's name. Fireball will be useful later, as a 3x3 AoE is always nice.


Swamp 2 in a nutshell. This place is boring, what can I say?


Also, Snorg is here. being so close to deep water gives me an idea...


OH GOD IT ISN'T WORKING.


Conventional means are enough, though, and Snorg goes down. He berserks. A LOT. Like, his will always outlast yours. He's just one angry troll.


On the plus side, I get a Snorg inscripted hide. Awesome.


AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA


Let's not go down there. I tried a dispel undead. It barely scratched him. Then he moved towards me, and I got the fuck out of that spell range.

Boris's spells: iron shot (3d37), b.cold (3d32), invisibility, animate dead, destruction orb (8d17). Yes, he has Orb of Destruction. He isn't afraid to use it. Constantly. We'll come back for him later.

At this point, I'm scared. If Boris is on Swamp 3, Sif only knows what else is down there, and if I can even get by him to reach Swamp 5.


I equip the Shield of Resistance to start pumping exp into the shields skill to drop this failure rate by a good chunk. As it stands, IMB and a 6% failure bolt of fire should be good enough.


Spells won't save me now! I teleport away, and find a staircase to Swamp 5. I have no clue how easy getting out will be, but hey. Getting down is step 1.


Magic mapping the area lets me know I'm relatively close to the rune vault. The presence of hydras and swamp drakes makes me think it's one type of vault.


I'm partially right. It had some drakes, hydras and swamp dragons, presumably to confuse you into lava. I apport the rune to me. But I'm not done with merely the swamp rune. There are still dragon's about.


So they die. 12% more experience to a level is nothing to sneeze at. Time to leave.


Fireball is learned. I drop Conjure flame, it's usage has dwindled considerably and I need the spell levels from it.


Not being happy with only doing the Swamps this update, I tackle the Orcish Mines.


Fireball is a nice spell. That's all I have to say about it.


The way down is uneventful, and another magic mapping makes me suspect an ogre village as the shop vault.


Suspicion confirmed! Easily the least threatening of the end vaults in Orcs, as the others have orc warlords, high priests, demonologists... Nasty stuff if you aren't prepared for that possibility.


Like the idiots they are, the ogres keep coming towards me, taking no heed of the blasts of fire screaming through their ranks.


Nothing overly useful for me. I would consider the buckler, but really. Shield of Resistance. Need I say more?


Oh, hey Rupert. Rupert is a berserker. A damn good one. Also has a paralyzing shout so he can kill you in a berserk fury easily. Seems to be able to evade far more than his EV amount (10) would suggest.


Fireballs don't need to pass an evasion check. They explode on the square you designate. He goes down to a volley of them.


The other thing to note about the Mines is that it's very segmented. I dig my way through with a wand, knowing it'll have more pathways in it, and more gold.


And Urug, fittingly, is here too. He carries javelins, and knows how to use them.


Fortunately, I know how to use my spells.


I retreat back to the Lair having cleared Orc Mines. Even with the Shield equipped, my failure rate is really good.


Attributes thus far. The lack of fire resistance is bothering me a little. I'm sure I'll find something for that eventually.


And the skills menu. Spellcasting gets turned on and off at a whim whenever I feel I need more spell levels, as Invocations is boosting my MP anyway.

Next time!

Only Sif and her many secrets knows. Maybe Snakes, maybe more dungeon running.